Bible's Answers to 100 of Life's Biggest Questions , livre ebook

© 2015 by Norman L. Geisler and Jason Jimenez
Published by Baker Books
a division of Baker Publishing Group
P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287
www.bakerbooks.com
Ebook edition created 2015
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means for example, electronic, photocopy, recording without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
ISBN 978-1-4412-2175-9
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com . Italics in quotations of the NIV have been added by the authors for emphasis.
Scripture quotations labeled ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ESV Text Edition: 2007. Italics in quotations of the ESV have been added by the authors for emphasis.
Scripture quotations labeled NKJV are from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Italics in quotations of the NKJV have been added by the authors for emphasis.
Scripture quotations labeled NLT are from the Holy Bible , New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Contents
Cover 1
Title Page 3
Copyright Page 4
Foreword by Josh and Sean McDowell 8
Preface 9
Acknowledgments 11
Part 1: Questions about God and Truth 13
1. What Is Truth? 15
2. Whose Truth Is True? 17
3. Is There a God? 19
4. Who Made God? 23
5. Who Is God? 24
6. Are Miracles Possible? 29
7. If God, Why Evil? 31
8. Is the God of the Old Testament a Monster? 33
9. Would a Loving God Send People to Hell? 36
Part 2: Questions about Creation, Science, and the Bible 39
10. How Did the Universe Come to Be? 41
11. Is Evolution a Viable Option? 43
12. Are Science and the Bible Compatible? 46
13. What Happened to the Dinosaurs? 48
14. Was There Really a Worldwide Flood? 50
15. Is the Bible True? 53
16. How Did the Bible Come Together? 56
17. Can We Trust the English Translations of the Bible? 59
18. How Do I Study the Bible? 61
Part 3: Questions about Jesus and the Holy Spirit 65
19. Who Is Jesus Christ? 67
20. How Can Jesus Be Both God and Man? 69
21. Why Did Jesus Have to Die? 72
22. How Do We Know Jesus Rose from the Dead? 75
23. Where Did Jesus Go between His Death and Resurrection? 78
24. What Kind of Body Did Jesus Have after His Resurrection? 81
25. Isn’t It Intolerant to Say Jesus Is the Only Way to God? 83
26. Who Is the Holy Spirit? 85
27. What Does the Holy Spirit Do? 87
28. What Is the “Filling” of the Holy Spirit? 90
Part 4: Questions about Sin and Salvation 93
29. Why Are We Born into Sin? 95
30. Are Humans More Than a Body? 96
31. Did God Pick Me or Did I Choose Him? 98
32. What Is the Gospel? 100
33. What about Those Who Never Heard the Gospel? 102
34. Can I Lose My Salvation? 104
35. Is Baptism Necessary for Salvation? 106
36. How Does One Become a Christian? 108
Part 5: Questions about Heaven and Hell 111
37. What Is Heaven Like? 113
38. Is There Really a Hell? 115
39. Can a Good Person Get into Heaven? 117
40. Do Near-Death Experiences Really Happen? 118
Part 6: Questions about Angels and Demons 121
41. Who Are Angels and What Do They Do? 123
42. Who Are Demons and What Do They Do? 125
43. What Kind of Power Does Satan Have? 126
44. Can a Christian Be Demon Possessed? 129
45. Can Christians Cast Demons Out of People? 131
Part 7: Questions about the Church and End Times 135
46. What Is the Church? 137
47. How Can I Know a Good Church from a Bad One? 139
48. How Can I Get My Family Involved in Church? 141
49. Why Are Churches So Divided? 143
50. Can Protestants and Catholics Agree on Anything? 145
51. Is Tithing 10 Percent Enough? 148
52. Why Is Biblical Prophecy Important? 150
53. Is America Mentioned in Prophecy? 152
54. Should Americans Care about Israel? 154
55. What Is Going to Happen in the End Times? 157
56. Who Is the Antichrist? 161
57. Will Christians Face the Great White Throne Judgment? 163
58. What Is the Millennial Kingdom? 165
59. What Is the New Heaven and New Earth? 167
Part 8: Questions about the Christian Life 169
60. How Can I Overcome Sin in My Life? 171
61. How Can I Grow in My Faith? 173
62. What Is the Great Commission? 175
63. How Do I Share My Faith? 176
64. How Can I Defend My Faith against Attacks? 179
65. Why Does God Allow Trials in My Life? 181
66. How Can I Forgive Someone Who Has Hurt Me Deeply? 183
67. Does God Hear My Prayers? 185
68. How Can I Know God’s Will for My Life? 187
69. What Are My Spiritual Gifts? 189
70. How Can I Set and Accomplish Goals in My Life? 193
Part 9: Questions about Moral and Ethical Issues 197
71. Who Determines What Is Morally Right and Morally Wrong? 199
72. Should Christians Judge Others? 202
73. Is Abortion Murder? 203
74. Does God Approve of Human Cloning? 206
75. What Is Wrong with Same-Sex Marriage? 208
76. Is Lying Ever Right? 211
77. How Should Christians View Euthanasia and Physician-Assisted Suicide? 213
78. What Is the Bible’s Position on Capital Punishment? 216
Part 10: Questions about Culture and Politics 219
79. What Is the Role of Government? 221
80. Why Should Christians Care about the United States Constitution? 225
81. Should Christians Be Involved in Politics? 226
82. Is There an Agenda behind Public Education? 229
Part 11: Questions about Worldviews and World Religions 233
83. What Are Some Worldviews That Oppose Christianity? 235
84. Can All Religions Be True? 237
85. What Do Muslims Believe? 239
86. What Do Mormons Believe? 243
87. What Do Jehovah’s Witnesses Believe? 247
88. What Do Hindus Believe? 250
89. What Do Buddhists Believe? 253
90. What Do New Agers Believe? 255
Part 12: Questions about Family 259
91. Why Do Many Christian Marriages End in Divorce? 261
92. How Can I Have a Good Marriage? 263
93. How Do You Grow a Healthy Blended Family? 266
94. How Can I Train My Children in the Ways of the Lord? 268
95. Why Are So Many Young People Abandoning the Faith? 271
96. How Can I Win Back a Prodigal Child? 274
97. Should a Christian Date an Unbeliever? 277
98. Am I a Bad Parent for Not Having Family Devotions? 279
99. How Can I Deal with Pornography in the Home? 282
100. Should I Let My Child Join Social Networking? 284
Notes 287
Back Ad 288
Back Cover 289
Foreword
We (Josh and Sean) have spent much of our lives and ministries trying to help people answer the tough questions of life. Even though culture has changed drastically over the past few decades, one thing remains the same: people have questions and they want answers . Being prepared with answers to tough questions is not just our job though. The Bible says all believers are to be ready with an answer to everyone who asks (1 Pet. 3:15). And that includes you ! That’s why we are so thrilled that Norm and Jason have written this Q&A book. This book is written for the Christian who needs clear and convincing answers to some of the most challenging questions of the day. If you have questions, this is the book for you.
No longer do you have to worry or be afraid when someone asks you a tough question about your faith. This book will equip you with solid answers to questions most Christians struggle to answer. Not only will it help you build confidence to defend the faith, but it will also be an encouragement as you grow in your faith.
We believe Christians from all walks of life will benefit from Norm and Jason’s biblical and practical approach to tackling one hundred of life’s biggest questions. Their way of laying out the book not only gives you (the Christian reader) biblical answers but also provides practical application and additional resources that will help you go deeper in your study.
We deeply value resources designed to help Christians grow in their faith and we have no doubt that this book fits that description. As you read and explore the valuable answers in this book, you will come to better understand what it is that you believe and will come away with a stronger conviction as to why you believe it.
We highly recommend this Q&A book, which covers such a wide range of thought-provoking questions with such insightful responses. The beginner will not feel overwhelmed, and the expert will find some insights to deepen his or her faith. This is truly an outstanding resource that we hope many believers will get, study, and share with their friends.
Josh and Sean McDowell
Preface
Have you ever asked a question of someone you expected would know the answer, and to your surprise, he or she struggled to give a response? That’s a bit unsettling, isn’t it? But now, let us turn the question on you. How many times have you been asked a question about the Bible or the Christian faith and been unable to give an answer? Not a great feeling, is it ? Both situations are unpleasant, and it is why most Christians freak out over being asked a question for fear they won’t be able to give an answer.
We can relate. In the course of our ministry careers, we have been asked everything from the most elaborate to the most simplistic questions by people of every age and walk of life. That’s not to say we’ve gotten the answers right all the time, but we try our best to answer people’s questions with God’s honest truth. But it takes a lot of discipline and a considerable amount of time to be able to answer people’s questions.
The sad